Assam flood situation improving as water level maintains receding trend, 22 lakh affected

GUWAHATI: Assam's flood situation is showing signs of improvement with the water level of most rivers maintaining a receding trend while over 22 lakh remain affected across the state, officials said on Monday.

However, the situation in Silchar, headquarter town of Cachar district, remained grim as several areas are still waterlogged, officials said.

The toll in the state has increased to 126 after five deaths were reported on Sunday while two others had gone missing.

The total number of affected people declined to 22.21 lakh in 28 districts on Sunday while the figure was 25.10 lakh on the previous day, according to a bulletin issued by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).

The rivers Kopili, Barak and Kushiara are flowing above the danger level.

In Silchar town, which is submerged for over a week, efforts are on to provide relief to those areas where the administration is yet to reach by air to drop packets with food, drinking water and other essential items by Indian Air Force helicopters.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is monitoring and conducting a survey to prepare a flood map of Silchar town so as to identify the extent of damage in different areas and help in taking measures to mitigate the damage in future, Cachar Deputy Commissioner Keerthi Jalli said.

The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), UNICEF and OXFAM, an international charitable organisation, have started operating boat-mounted water treatment units to drinking water to the people in need within Silchar and its peripheral areas, she added.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited and reviewed Silchar twice within two days on Sunday and reviewed the relief and rescue operations in the town.

Silchar has been severely affected as water gushed in, following a breach in the dyke at Betkundi, allegedly by miscreants, and Sarma alleged that the flood in the town is "man made".

The state government has transported 3575 food packets to Silchar from Guwahati and Jorhat.

Meanwhile, 2,542 villages under 75 revenue circles across the state remain affected by the current wave of floods while 2,17,413 people have taken shelter in 564 relief camps, the ASDMA said in a bulletin.

Large-scale erosion was also reported from Bongaigaon, Charaideo, Chirang, Hailakandi, Morigaon, Sonitpur, South Salmara and Udalguri, it added.